I am off to Paris tomorrow, where I will spend a week and attend a haute-couture embroidery course at Lesage. I am excited of course, but getting a little bit nervous as well... Will I be good and patient enough?

Right after I am going to Amsterdam and then Copenhagen, so I might not be able to post very often in the coming two weeks. Let's say I am taking a real break this time!

Thursday, July 18

Being in France includes going treasure hunting in antique shops, as I am obsessed with objects from the past. I especially love/ enjoy visiting the shop pictured below as its owner used to be my teacher when I was 12. She's a wonderful woman and I have fond memories of hours spent in her classroom studying French literature.

I am digressing, let's have a look at the treasures that are now piling up in the shop, I have spent more than 2 hours last week there, and I could spend as much today if I had the time!

You can find everything there, from paintings, to table ware, arts, books, post cards, jewelry or religious items. Of course wooden furnitures, textiles, and much much more...

What do you think of the pieces above? most of them are silver plated.

The skull? I know... I am not sure I can assume one in my home though.

The tea set above comes from England and is hand-painted.

I am in love with the colors and the unique shape of the cups!

I have a crush for these three bottles.

There are very heavy however which is why I haven't bought them (yet).

The frame intrigued me. Although it's in B&W, all the decorative details (jewelry etc...) are in metal.

Gorgeous!

Not my style, but I wouldn't refuse the two candle holders!

Tea set made of Limoges porcelain

I would have bought this set in a heartbeat, so beautiful!

I am never usually buying things that I don't need, but maybe I should buy every " crystal chandelier" I see for our future house?

A piece of art! I have no idea how they made the face of this doll - it's in fabric and hand-painted.

Truly amazing.

I have made a few purchases as I am planning to have a sale back in Tokyo. I will share some pictures later on but in the meantime, what would you choose among all these treasures? Do you like thrifting at all? Looking forward to hearing about your stories and finds!

Friday, July 12

I am happy to share a couple of pictures of the preparation going on for my July styling contribution to Beautiful Revelry's blog. I am working on the theme of a garden tea party with a French twist.

It's exhilarating to be playing with the many beautiful props owned by my mum, who has a house big enough to keep all sorts of glass bottles, glass containers and other treasures. We used the glass bottles featured below at my wedding 5 years ago...

The carrot cake is a favorite of mine and I have fond childhood memories, I loved eating the carrots made of marzipan! We also made some biscuits (photo above), it's hard to resist picking one now...

There is one more project I would like to complete for this shoot using the push-up pop containers. I am not sure yet if I fill them up with candies or confetti - piñata style, or make ice-pops. They would also make cute party favors... Available on Beautiful Revelry here.

Friday, July 5

How are you all doing? I am in the midst of preparing my suitcase again, as I am going to Paris this weekend. As mentioned previously, I will attend Playtime Paris tomorrow and I am also bringing my daughter along as she dreams to visit the Eiffel Tower. It's our first girl's weekend!

I also wanted to share the pictures of a project that I have completed just before leaving Japan last month. These Mini Me dolls above are for two sisters, two sweet little girls. I chose matching flower fabrics, with pastel colors for a soft atmosphere. I hope they will enjoy playing with them for years to come!Happy weekend!

Thursday, July 4

Today I want to share some pictures of my current workspace in my bedroom here in France. I take a great care of the atmosphere in this room, even though I am only there for a couple of weeks each year. I don't own any of the wooden furniture pieces and they are all antiques, made in France (of course)... so gorgeous! I have added the lamp pictured below last week, it used to be in my Grand-Ma's apartment and it fits in the theme of my room (warm colors with gold accents).

The small table above used to be a bed side table. It's my current working desk as I have a limited space in the room, and I can't keep my laptop up there (no wifi) so I just need enough space to read magazines and work on my embroidery projects. I have fixed the designs for my new blog template and the inspiration board and I keep on thinking about it...

I have always taken a lot of flower photographs and I used to print them and make albums - very nice to browse them now as I need some inspiration for my work... Every year I am also looking forward to read the Marie Claire Idees (French craft magazine) of my mum. I love this magazine!

I am preparing for the Hand Made Marche in Tokyo in September, which will be on the button theme. I remembered that I had kept a stock of beautiful buttons from an internship at a fashion house in France, more than 10 years ago. I knew it was going to be useful one day...

Who doesn't love thrifting in the country side of France? You find such treasures, it's hard to stop. I may have a French antique event in Tokyo in September... details to come up on the blog soon!

Other memories from my fashion studies in France, and a fantastic job in Italy at Emilio Pucci... neckties, scarves, prototypes and more... all displayed on my mannequin, maybe waiting for me to bring them home? All of my fashion and jewelry books are also staying here as I am worried that they will get damaged in Asia in the particularly humid weather.

Wednesday, July 3

Are you ready for a new photo travel in the country side of France {part 1 here}, in the village where I grew up? I have only taken pictures around the house so far, there will be many more coming in the coming weeks! Here we go...

Des fleurs - France 2013

Porte de grange - France 2013

Le jardin des voisins - France 2013

La fontaine - France 2013

La cabane - France 2013

Geraniums - France 2013

This year I noticed that my village has changed a lot. Many old houses are unoccupied, and others are not looked after well, there aren't any flowers outside or at the windows, it looks dirty and kind of old. It's true that the weather has been quite horrible and people were not able to maintain their gardens. It's also true that the population has evolved and new families prefer to build brand new houses rather than take over an old one - some are more than 100 years old.

It's kind of painful to witness - they have recently closed down the little school where I used to go (my years of KG and primary school) for obscure reasons and now there isn't anything left. A long time ago there were three restaurants or cafes, the customs house (since we live at the border with Switzerland) and the school. And many more farms. But no shops or bakery here.

When I think that I am currently living in Tokyo... Life is full of surprises, really.

Tuesday, July 2

I hope you enjoyed my last post and the couple of pictures introducing you to "my village"... I am preparing part 2 and plan to post it tomorrow, stay tuned!

I have started working on my next styling, using new props I found around the house: glass bottles, my Mum's tea set, biscuits stands etc... There is still a lot to be done, but I it should look great!

Playtime Paris - website

This weekend I am bringing my daughter to Paris so I am also preparing our trip. She will spend some time with her Godmother while I am attending the kids fair Playtime, for the first time.

I am excited to visit it and discover so many beautiful brands and new concepts. Just looking at their site makes me happy :-)

I will also meet up with Peggy of Paul et Paula - we missed each other last year but certainly not this year. I am expecting to share my finds with you all next week...

Monday, July 1

... but not to my Google Readers I hope! If you are following this blog via Google Reader, and I know many of you do, please check the other options to keep in touch with me! You surely don't want to miss my creative pursuits in the Land of the Rising Sun (Japan)...

Sharing a couple of pictures taken in the village where I am currently staying, and where I grew up... It's located in a rural area in the eastern part of France, and it's super duper small, very green and quiet. I will share more pictures in the coming weeks as I have decided to document my village this year and make memories ~